


Holy words

by saintmichael



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, some non-canon archangels die, war with the darkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25375699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintmichael/pseuds/saintmichael
Summary: God made Michael before he made words. So Michael struggles.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Holy words

When Michael was first created, he and his Father had a simple form of communication. If Papa sent the colour blue inside Michael’s mind, that meant there was danger and Michael had to hide inside his Father’s light immediately. When he sent red, that meant Michael was safe to come out.

Later, Papa invented a language with words of sounds, and letters you could write down. Michael did his best to learn it, but it was strange and difficult to his little mind. Papa also made a new Little Papa for Michael to play with, and he was created with knowledge of the Language already present in his mind. The Little Papa, called Helael, was able to easily converse with their Father while for a long time, the only words Michael understood were Papa, Helael and Michael.

But Michael knew he had to learn or Papa wouldn’t love him again. Papa looked more and more displeased every time he saw Michael struggling with words, whereas he was always happy to play with Helael. Helael preferred to play with Michael though, and he chattered enough on his own that Michael eventually started picking up the Language properly.

Writing down words was even harder than speaking them. Michael didn’t really understand for a while that certain sounds related to the letters. All the sounds in a word were one thing, but the words were made of different parts. It was confusing. Helael helped with that too, though, and managed to drive through Michael’s head exactly what the letters were meant to represent. 

Their Father wasn’t happy with that either, though. He kept reminding Michael that he needed to catch up with his education, because as the elder Brother Michael was supposed to be teaching Helael, not the other way around. 

Michael did teach him things, though. He showed him how to run around, and play hide and seek, and how to clean their little home inside Father’s grace. These were more important things to learn than writing words down when he could just say them anyway, in his opinion. 

One day, Father pulled Michael and Helael into his office for a chat. “I have decided we’ll need more people if we want to defeat the Darkness. So I will be making a few more little brothers for you two to look after.” He paused. Michael smiled, happy at the idea of having more Helaels, but Helael looked a little sour at the thought. 

“Father, why? The plan we have conceived will work out, I’m sure of it. Do you think me incapable?” Papa shook his head.

“I am sure you will carry your part out fine, but Michael is developing as slowly as ever. He won’t be able to do everything required to trap her. He doesn’t understand.” Michael, still happy, told Helael:

“Our father is making us new younger brothers to play with, Helael, That will make hide and seek more fun.”

“Michael is developing fine, Father,” Helael protested. “He just needs time, that’s all.” Papa scowled.

“I can’t give him any more time. I need the Darkness gone now. And it’ll be quicker if I just make a few more angels and give each of them a single job to do.”

Papa and Helael were speaking very quickly, so it was a little bit difficult for Michael to follow. He got out of his seat and started tidying their Father’s office for him.

“And you will have to coordinate the assault, rather than Michael.” Michael went to destroy the loose papers scattered on Papa’s desk, but Papa scooped him up and sat him in his lap before he could get to them. 

“How am I supposed to coordinate it when I’ll be in the thick of the Darkness? Or are you planning on making Michael or one of these new brothers carry the seal instead? I can’t agree to that.”

“No, of course not,” Papa said. “I will create the younger brothers with new parts to make communication easier, and upgrade you and Michael with them.”

“Father, I’ll clean your room for you,” Michael offered, trying to escape Papa’s lap. “It’s messy.”

“My office is fine, Michael. I’ll give you some particles to disintegrate in a moment.” He wrapped his arms even more firmly around Michael. “We should discuss the details later. I just wanted to inform you two that there were new little ones on the way. I will need you to bring them up to speed. They should be quick to develop, like you. Helael.”

“Fine. It’ll be nice to have more faces around here, I suppose.” Their Father opened the door behind them and Helael exited. Papa handed Michael some large particles which he was allowed to destroy and gently ushered him out of the room. 

Papa ended up making five new angels, which Michael was very excited about. Helael acted coy, but Michael could tell he was pleased as well. Michael understood enough to teach them now, although he still needed help from Helael when it came to spelling and grammar. Michael had an instrinsic understanding of maths and physics which sometimes made it harder to figure out where his younger brothers were going wrong, but he could empathise with not understanding concepts.

Helael and Papa were having a lot of meetings in Papa’s office, presumably to discuss whatever this attack on the Darkness was. Michael could not quite grasp what this was needed for. He remembered the Darkness swallowing him alive when he was tiny, and his Father barely managing to drag him out. He did not want to go near it again. But if it was important to Papa, then Michael would do it. Simple as that.

The younger brothers asked him about it a lot. Michael didn’t know why it was strange: since Helael’s creation, he and their Father had always been off somewhere having conversations that Michael didn’t understand. Papa spent barely any time at all with the younger brothers, though. It made Michael a little sad, and he tried to spend as much time as possible with them as possible to make up for it. However, for some reason, they preferred to play amongst themselves.

Soon, they found themselves preparing for war. Their Father and Helael invited each of them into Papa’s office to describe the role they would be playing. Papa wanted Michael to go around to the farthest parts of the Darkness there were and destroy Dark particles in certain patterns. Michael was still uncertainly about going near the Darkness and reminded Papa about it. “Are you sure it won’t eat me again?”

Helael glanced uncomfortably at Papa and the both of them could feel the fury emanating off Papa. Still, he said calmly, “No, Michael. That will not happen again.”

When Papa did not explain further, Helael said to Michael, “There will enough going on at the front lines that most likely the Darkness will not even notice your presence. If it does, Father and I want you to evacuate immediately, and report back to Father for further instruction.” He looked at Papa, who nodded in confirmation.

“Yes, Helael,” Michael said. He looked at the patterns they had drawn down for him. “What do I do if I forget the patterns?”

“You mustn’t,” his Father said. “Take care to memorise the sigils exactly, and place them exactly where we tell you.” He took Michael’s hands in his and sighed. “If you do make a mistake, evacuate immediately and report back to me. But your little brothers will most likely be lost in the fray, and we’ll have to start over from scratch.” Michael’s eyes widened.

“I will remember the patterns Papa,” Michael said, and hurriedly corrected to “Father,” when Papa frowned at the baby-talk. He left that meeting full of nerves and dread, and spent the entire run-up to the battle ingraining the patterns of the sigils into his mind. He did not want to lose any of his younger brothers to this plan of Papa and Helael.

What his Father failed to mention, though, is that the survival of the new younger brothers was not particularly at the forefront of his mind when he concocted this strategy. After the Darkness had been entirely sucked into the great chasm created by the spell, which was then sealed by Helael, Michael returned to the Light, proud that he had carried out his mission successfully rather than ruining it for everyone. He noticed there were only four people there, not seven, but presumed the missing younger brothers were hiding in their Father’s light, as Michael had done as a child.

“We did it,” he said, smiling at everyone. Papa pulled him in and embraced him tightly. One of the younger brothers, Raphael, scowled at him, while the other visible one, Gabriel, gave out a gasped sob.

“Is everyone okay?” Michael asked. A feeling of dread dawned upon him as he looked around to everyone’s grim faces. “Where are Ariel, Zadkiel and Samael?”

Papa hugs him tighter and said, “Don’t worry about that, Michael. We won. Let’s celebrate, shall we?” Raphael spat and flew away. Gabriel looked like he wanted to follow him, but Helael was holding onto his hand tight as he examined the seal now running through his body.

“The Darkness ate them?” Michael asked in horror. “But, but.” He didn’t understand. When Michael had been eaten by the Darkness, Father had rescued him. Why had that not occurred here? Helael glanced up at him and made eye contact. He looked miserable, but focused.

Papa paused and extended his avatar to address Michael face-to-face. “Yes, we lost some younger brothers in the battle. But now that the Darkness is finally gone, I can begin creating a whole universe. Soon you all will have more brothers than you can count.” He smiled at their assembled little group, but no one was cheered by this prospect.

“You have all earned a reward. I will build each of you a home of your own to reside in. Palaces. You will live like princes.”

Michael didn’t want to live like a prince. He wanted to play with his younger brothers. He didn’t understand why this was happening. Why was Papa so happy?

Helael said smoothly, “Yes, Father. Thank you. We will leave you to it, and recover from the battle.” Papa nodded and Michael was released from the embrace of his light as he retreated from them.

“Everyone did very well,” their Father said, and moved off. Helael gave Michael a tortured look, and he flew to join him and Gabriel, who was shaking uncontrollably.

“Let’s go find Raphael,” he muttered, sounding much less confident. Michael frowned and nodded. He picked up Gabriel, who looked in no condition to fly, and they headed off to where they found Raphael floating in the void, a dead look on his face.

Michael picked him up as well, and he and Helael sat there. “I know this is tough for everyone,” Helael said. “I’m sorry. But we all knew there were risks.”

“Our brothers are dead,” Raphael said dully into Michael’s chest. “He doesn’t even care.”

“I know,” Helael said again. “He does care, but - this was the only way. If we had tried to save them, we all would have perished. As it stands, the Darkness is defeated and three of us survived. Father is seeing the victory in that. He does care. I promise.”

“Four,” Michael said, frowning. He knew he was better at maths than Helael, but surely he was capable of counting to four. “Four of us have survived.”

“Yes, of course,” Helael quickly agreed. “I misspoke. Apologies, Brother.”

Gabriel was still shaking wildly. Michael stroked his wings, and Raphael’s, for he knew his other younger brother was still in shock, despite being quieter. They both relaxed a little into him. Eventually, Michael spoke.

“It is not easy to understand him sometimes, but we must trust in our Father. He only wants what’s best,” Michael said honestly. “We should look to the future, as our Father does.” 

Helael looked a little relieved, at that. Michael continued, “Nor does our Father necessarily understand us. We must support one another. I did not know this was a potential outcome, and I failed to protect my younger brothers. That will not happen again. You are all safe with me. You as well, Helael,” he said sternly to his brother, and pulled him closer such that the four of them were sharing an embrace.

They stayed like that for a long time, aching, miserable. But Michael’s words seemed to have cheered them up a little. He could take pride in that, at least. Maybe soon he could be a proper Older Brother. But far too late for it to matter.


End file.
